Fergus Fraser
)Age as of the end of Written in My Own Heart's Blood. |Deathdate= |Marital= Married |Alias= Claudel |Title= |Gender= Male |Height= |Hair= Black |Eyes= Black |Skin= Fair |Nuclear = *Jamie Fraser (adoptive father) *Claire Fraser (adoptive mother) *Jenny Murray (foster mother) *Ian Murray (foster father) *Laoghaire MacKenzie (mother-in-law) *Joan MacKimmie (sister-in-law) |Spouse=*Marsali MacKimmie Fraser (wife) |Children=*Germain Fraser (son) *Joan Fraser (daughter) *Félicité Fraser (daughter) *Henri-Christian Fraser (son) † |Occupation= Printer |Clan= Fraser |Nationality= French |dragonfly=true|voyager=true|drums=true|fiery=true|breath=true|echo=true|written=true |Actor = Romann Berrux (as Young Fergus) |Seasons = season2 }} Fergus Fraser, formerly known as Claudel, is a French emigrant to the American colonies via Scotland. Born in Paris, he grew up in a brothel, not knowing who his true parents were or if they still lived. In 1744, while Jamie and Claire Fraser lived in Paris, Jamie hired him as a pickpocket and gave him his new Scottish name. Personal History Fergus was born "Claudel" in Madame Elise's brothel in Paris, to one of the prostitutes – he never knew which one, and had no idea who his father was. Madame Elise let him sleep in a closet under the stairs, and he was allowed to come out in the early hours of the morning, when business was winding down, and the ladies of the brothel would sometimes share breakfast with him. He would also brush their hair and "help them with their underthings", of which he was quite proud. It is revealed later in Dragonfly in Amber that he was molested from time to time by male customers with "certain tastes" – a fact that leads Jamie to challenge Jack Randall to a duel after catching him molesting Fergus. Events of the Novels ''Dragonfly in Amber After running into Madame Elise's brothel while being pursued by attackers in Paris, Jamie spots Fergus (at the time called "Claudel") and asks him for help in escaping. The two manage to get away by climbing up onto the roof, and Jamie later offers the boy a job as a pickpocket in exchange for "clothes, lodging, and 30 ecús a year". He also renames the boy Fergus, as he thinks Claudel is not a very manly name. Fergus proves to be an adept pickpocket, discreetly stealing letters addressed to Charles Stuart from messengers' bags in taverns, delivering them to Jamie (whom he calls "Milord") to copy, and then returning the letters to the messengers' bags after. From time to time, at Jamie's urging, he also serves as an escort for Claire (whom he calls "Milady") and also accompanies Jamie & Claire to various social functions as a page. Though he can be mischievous (he causes a stir at a picnic at the stables when he tries to ride an unbroken horse, and later in the novel picks a fight with the young son of a lord), he proves fiercely loyal to both Jamie & Claire, and invaluable in numerous times of trouble. He accompanies the Frasers back to Scotland after Jamie is released from the Bastille, and after living with them briefly at Lallybroch, he is brought along when Jamie joins the Highland army and Claire accompanies him as a medic. After leading a soldier with important information to Jamie on the battlefield at Prestonpans, he inadvertently joins the battle, later bragging to Claire about killing a man. When the tides of the war turn against the Highlanders and Jamie kills Dougal in self-defense, Jamie sends Fergus on a critical mission: ride to Lallybroch with a Deed of Sassine, which turns ownership of Lallybroch over to Little Jamie, and prevents the English from taking it should Jamie be labeled a traitor. Fergus is last seen running to the stables to mount Donas, Jamie's horse, and make the trip. Voyager Drums of Autumn The Fiery Cross A Breath of Snow and Ashes An Echo in the Bone Personality Physical Appearance As a boy of ten, Fergus is small for his age with black hair, pale, sallow skin, big, long-lashed dark eyes, and large, perfect front teeth that are "square as a squirrel's".Dragonfly in Amber, Chapter 12 His slightly beaked nose and long mouth lend him an aristocratic look, and Jamie notes that the bones of the boy's face suggest he will be a handsome man when he is grown. Jamie's prediction proves an astute one, as Claire notes upon her return to the past that Fergus has become a very handsome man after twenty years. At age fifteen, while delivering a cask of ale to Jamie in the cave near Lallybroch, Fergus encounters redcoats that try to steal the cask from him, and Fergus foolishly taunts them and tries to get away. In a small scuffle, one of the soldiers draws his sword and brings it down on Fergus's wrist, severing his hand clean off. As an adult, Fergus customarily wears a hook in place of the missing hand, or a filled glove when wanting to avoid undue notice. Relationships Name * '''Fergus' is the anglicized version of the name Fearghas, which means "man of vigour".Behind the Name: Fergus – Accessed 19 April 2015.Behind the Name: Fearghas – Accessed 19 April 2015. * Claudel is a diminutive version of the name Claude, which is derived from the ancient Roman name Claudius, from Latin claudus meaning "lame, crippled".Behind the Name: Claude – Accessed 19 April 2015.Behind the Name: Claudius – Accessed 19 April 2015. * Fraser may be derived from Fredarius, Fresel or Freseau. Another suggestion is that the Frasers were a tribe in , whose badge was a strawberry plant.Way, George and Squire, Romily. Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The ). Published in 1994. Pages 142 - 143. Trivia TV Series French actor Romann Berrux portrays young Fergus on the Outlander television adaptation.Diana Gabaldon – Official Facebook – 10 June 2015 References Category:Characters Category:18th century characters Category:Characters in Dragonfly in Amber Category:Characters in Voyager Category:Characters in Drums of Autumn Category:Characters in The Fiery Cross Category:Characters in A Breath of Snow and Ashes Category:Characters in An Echo in the Bone Category:Characters in Written in My Own Heart's Blood Category:Fraser Clan Category:Characters in Season 2 Category:French Characters Category:Amputees